There are a lot of technical terms dentists need to know to deliver good care to their patients. Mandibular canals, dental prophylaxis, and endosteal placement are just a few. But APIs, IT infrastructures, and data modeling? They may be necessary to keep your practice in great shape, but you and your staff shouldn’t have to handle them yourselves.

You’re in the business of dentistry, not IT. That’s why investing in managed IT services is such a smart move; the service provider keeps your tech systems up and running so you can focus on running your business. 

Is Your Dental Practice in Need of Managed IT Services?

Exceptional patient care is the top priority for your dental practice. Today, achieving that goal is more complex, relying on effective technological systems and processes that help you not only serve your patients, but make smart business decisions that have a positive impact on profitability.

One of the most challenging elements in running a dental practice today is how to handle technology and information systems. Installations, configurations, data management, security, and compliance are just some of the requirements you need to control. And unless you have a full-time in-house IT department, designating those daily responsibilities to one or more of your dental team can be both an overwhelming task for them and hinder your ability to adequately care for patients.

Few dentists have the time or expertise to manage the technological aspect of their practice. That makes outsourcing your IT functions worth considering.

Benefits of Managed IT Services for Dental Practices

Every dental practice has different needs, but one thing’s certain. As the dental industry continues to evolve, dental health care providers need access to technology that simplifies work processes, improves performance, and gives patients the high level of care they deserve, all while remaining HIPAA compliant.

The main benefits of using managed IT services can be narrowed down to three key elements: time, savings, and access to expertise. Whether you have a single practice or multiple office locations, working with professionals who are trained and experienced in dealing with any dental IT-related scenario can relieve you and your staff from the hassle of IT support so you can concentrate on what you do best. 

Downtime is Expensive

A proactive approach goes a long way in providing your practice with the tech-related stability it needs. And when you consider the cumulative cost of one or two hours of downtime, the expense of IT managed services is a relative bargain.

Innovation in healthcare has often been constrained by budgetary limitations. Thanks to outsourced IT providers, that has started to change. A costly in-house IT department or a go-to local fix-it IT technician are no longer your only options. In fact, outsourcing typically works out to be much more cost effective because emergency calls that can result in expensive and ultimately unnecessary fixes are replaced by complete cost predictability that makes budgeting a whole lot easier.

24/7 Monitoring

The less risk any business has, the more profitable it is likely to become. No one thinks about a dental practice being a top target for cyber criminals, but when hackers have access to a person’s medical information it can be abused in many ways. Round-the clock monitoring of your IT system prevents them from exploiting entryways, keeps your patient data safe, and prevents attacks before they occur. From hardware firewalls to online filtering solutions, managed IT services provide a great first line of defense against attacks and viruses.

HIPAA Compliance Management

Like all medical service providers, dental practices must be compliant with strict legal requirements like HIPAA and HITECH. Data retention and deletion is strictly governed and a loss, whether it’s caused by natural disasters, hardware failures, or data breaches, can be devastating.

And as you know, your practice may be audited at any time and, if found to be non-compliant, can be responsible for costly fines. The reputational damage can also be a serious consequence. Outsourced IT services that specialize in healthcare can conduct audits and implement effective strategies to ensure your practice is always in compliance.

Make the Switch to IT Managed Services

Choosing the right managed IT services provider for your dental practice does not need to be a complicated one. What matters most is finding a company that understands dental practices and can provide specific industry-related proactive services that deliver the outcomes you need.

Your DDS or DMD was awarded so you could do what you love—provide great dental healthcare to your patients. Take the time to explore how IT managed services can help you provide your patients with the best care possible!